Nigeria on red alert, soldiers are now more involved in internal security, this is not the definition of democracy they taught us. This is real state of EMERGENCY.
Schools in Abuja are shut, Boko Haram got the upper hand, No To Formal Education, tertiary institutions are under lock and key, no one seems to care, you know what? The leaders are not affected, their children are graduating abroad and they are flaunting their pictures before our very eyes. Naira is sliding daily, I doubt it if any of the CBN policies can save it.
The reasons are not far-fetched, we import virtually everything, even personnel are imported in the name of expartriate, I doubt it if their quotas are not exceeded.
Asa, the musician says it all, THERE IS FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, unfortunately no one is making efforts to quench it, the danger is better imagined than experienced.
Mr. President, Our Daddy told the youths to look for alternatives for the white collar jobs, this they heeded by returning to farms.
Alas, bandits and terrorists have taken over the forests, forcing the youths back to the cities to seek refuge in Okada business, let it be known that this kills the economy slowly.
Cooking gas price is over the roof, yes, that is the situation globally, ditto with food prices and petrol, blame Russia-Ukraine War, but we bungled our chances, when we don’t have functional refineries.
Morocco, Algeria and Egypt are cashing out on this. European countries, Israel and the US are looking their ways to spite Russia, also Nigeria is not in reckoning here.
We learn that there were 41 security reports before Kuje prison break, yet the daring attack took place at the city of power amid inter-agencies rivalry. At the last count, Nigeria experienced 15 successful prison breaks, this is excluding the foiled ones and series of attacks on these facilities.
The things we hear from the government are condemnation and the threat to recover the escapees. These escapees were at various times caught, being involved in more criminal act. Ironically, no head rolled, even when the President and Minister of Interior agreed that there was a need to question the response from security personnel, it is just business as usual.
Now, the lawmakers are threatening to impeach the President over the state of insecurity. For me, they are waking up too late, but we know why they are waking up, because Abuja is no longer safe, remember they only intervene when they are affected. A case in point is the aviation fuel scarcity and skyrocketed prices, they intervened quickly because it’s affecting their pocket, their girlfriends are complaining of cost of air tickets.
Alas! the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan has adjourned the plenary for seven weeks, seven weeks with pay to douse the impeachment tension. Diaris God oo.
Anyway they can run but how far and how long? They should remember, the Elites Guards invisibility has been bursted with all the 3,000 Guards excluding the DSS, Police, Road Safety, Civil Defence, Snippers et al, Mister President is now hiding for terrorists. Who is now safe?
Terrorists now have more courage than our security community. They rescued their comrades at ease, unhurt, a feat the Nigerian nation considers a herculean task, talking about collateral damage.
Rice is slipping away from the poor, noddles and eggs developing wings. Poultry farmers are not smiling, ditto with fish and pig farmers, cost of feeding them are beyond reach.
With all these trauma across the Nation, I am not sure our leaders are aware, they are having more than enough, their dogs feed better than the masses, every man for himself.
Elections are around the corner, none of them is showing any template about how the myriads of problems would be solved.
They have thrown bones for Nigerians to struggle with rather than examining their competency. Nigerians are now arguing over Muslim-Muslim ticket, age and health conditions of candidates.
The teeming youths are empowered with Okadas, electricity generators, sewing machines, grounding machines, and so on but their children get the plum jobs at the CBN, NNPC, FIRS.
No problem, by the time these children of the poor finally wakes up, these children of the rich will not take a pin when they would be struggling at the airport to leave the country, but pause and think, those you sent to Ukraine to study, what happened to them? Home-sweet-home, only if the home is left in a habitable condition. For the masses, the table these leaders are using for feast is you, the day you decide to rise up with one voice the day the feast is over.
Wale Busari is a Lagos based Journalist
